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Atheism – Professor Peter BoghossianPortland State University
November 4, 2015
FROM GODDESS TO GODExpunging the feminine
from the divine
Karen L. Garst, PhD
Email:
Blog:
www.faithlessfeminist.com
Facebook:
www.facebook.com/faithlessfeminist
Twitter:
@karen_garst
How does culture reproduce itself?
Spoken language – at least 100,000 years ago
Music – 55,000 years ago in Africa
Rituals – 50,000 years ago
Art – paintings and carvings – 30,000 years ago
Writing – 3,000 BCE - Mesopotamia
Venus of LespugneFrance – 20,000 – 18,000 BCE
Venus of LausselFrance – 22,000 -18,000 BCE
Mother Goddess Giving BirthCatal Huyuk – 6,000 – 5,800 BCE
Hagar Qim, Malta4,000 to 3,000 BCE
Goddess and SnakeCrete – 4,500 BCE
God and GoddessSumerian Seal, Iraq – 2,500 BCE
Goddess with SnakesMinoan, Crete – 1,600 BCE
Goddess in Crete1600 BCE
Branch Goddess in CanaanMiddle Bronze Age IIB 1750 – 1550 BCE
Clay PillarsIsrael – 9th century BCE
Cobra = Goddess in Egyptian
Snake = Healing = Caduceus
Memes of the Goddess
Importance of images
Mother/child/birth
Home and hearth
Cycles of nature and women
Creator is part of creation
Goddess and God TogetherNeolithic and Bronze Ages
Male deity arrives and incorporates existing goddesses
Co-exists with goddess as consort
Male deity assumes greater role
Militaries become more prevalent
Cities become increasingly fortified
Israelite Imposition of Yahweh1200 BCE to 600 BCE
Multiple references in Bible against pagan gods – 7th century BCE
Figurines of naked goddess, offering stands and incense altars found throughout Northern and Southern Kingdoms
Manasseh (d. 642 BCE) – King of Judah – Put Asherah cult object in Temple in Jerusalem
Southern Kingdom still destroying high places in Bethel – Reforms of King Josiah (d. 609 BCE)
Exile in Babylon 586 BCE - finalize first five books of Bible as well as several others
Yahweh and his AsherahKuntillet ‘Ajrud – Israel – 8th Century BCE
Exile in BabylonMarduk (male) conquers Tiamet (female)
Demonizing Feminine in Old Testament
Genesis – Eve – Devalues the images of the goddess - snake, garden, tree
Yahweh – no mother, no children
Woman – not part of divine, cause of sin
Woman – unclean, cannot participate in worship
Patriarchy – human property, virgin, adultery, rape
Near sacrifice of Isaac – final break with strong female role
Memes of Monotheism
One deity – male – woman is not part of the divine
Divine is separate from creation
Morality is written laws instead of tribal relationships
Written language replaces images
Linear time replaces cyclical time
Separation from the physical world with a goal of attaining a spiritual existence
Legacy for Women in 2015
Not part of divine
Most religious leaders are men
Female sexuality
Devaluation of right brain
Very low participation in power structure
Attacks on birth control and abortion
United StatesNot in lead for women’s rights
United Nations Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women - Ratified by 186/193 member nations – but not the US
Women heads of state – 52 countries in the last 50 years including Sweden and Germany currently – but not the US
Paid leave for newborns – 188 countries – but not the US
Wage equality – US 65th - Iceland (1), Finland (2), Norway (3) and Sweden (4)
Bibliography
Goddess ReligionThe Language of the Goddess Marija Gimbutas 1989Gods, Goddesses, and Images of God Keel and Uehlinger 1992The Alphabet Versus the Goddess Leonard Shlain 1998In the Wake of the Goddesses Tikva Frymer-Kensky 1992The Myth of the Goddess Anne Baring and 1991
Jules CashfordMatriarchy/Patriarchy/WomenBehind the Sex of God Carol Ochs 1977Beyond God the Father Mary Daly 1993Female Power and Male Dominance Peggy Reeves Sanday 1981Her Share of the Blessings Ross Shepard Kraemer 1992The Chalice and the Blade Diane Eisler 1988The Creation of Patriarchy Gerda Lerner 1987The Female Experience and the Nature Judith Ochshorn 1981of the DivineThe World According to Eve Cullen Murphy 1998When God was a Woman Merlin Stone 1976When Women were Priests Karen Jo Torjesen 1995Woe to the Women Annie Laurie Gaylor 1981Women in Early Christianity Patricia Cox Miller 2005